Thursday, June 24, 2010

Portomarin

Today we had a beautiful walk out of Sarria through ancient woodlands full of oak and chestnut trees that could easily be a thousand years old. I felt like Treebeard lives here! The numbers of pilgrims on the road has increased exponentially. It is like my 10K walk in Louisville but on country lanes. So, I tried to ignore the crowds and concentrate on the beauty around me that most everyone walking passed me was ignoring. The trees were awesome. Now I understand the song about being "under the spreading chestnut tree!"
I stopped short of Portomarin in a lovely albergue in Mercadoiro. I imagined the hoards and masses all heading for the city and filling up the beds like they did in Sarria, so I decided to grab an empty bed here. The second photo is of the lawn and view from this albergue.
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4 comments:

  1. Bev, Speaking of crowds....I just realized that you have not posted a single picture of the crowds. I looked through all your previous posts and there is never more than 2 people in a picture. Maybe your subconscious way of blocking out the crowds?? Can you post a picture of what the crowd scene looks like?

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  2. Wow Mom--love the gorgeous pictures of the trees. Surely nothing could have provided a better poultice for your weary soul. Old trees remind me of God's greatness, his unending presence and make me feel cradled in his massive hands. I am so glad you are still taking time to enjoy the sights before your journey ends. Can't wait to hear more when I see you in a few weeks!

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  3. Natalie and Ron both have hit the mark on this one. How long do you have to wait to take a picture that is void of people? We here is sweltering Kentucky visualize you on a trail with 125,000 others, running helter-skelter like ants on an ant hill. More importantly, finding the “lovely albergue in Mercadoiro” is perfect. Even in the chaos of competing and aggressive humans you always seem to find the “road less traveled”. GO-GIRL-GO!

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  4. I have a great picture of the crowds on my camera from yesterday. I wish I could post it! We are in a big gaggle following about six horses and cabellero peregrinos on a narrow trail. By the way, riding a horse to Santiago may sound romantic, but the reality is not! Flies follow them constantly, and the trail is often terrible for the horses. Logistics of food and lodging is difficult, too. Not to mention being on the animal six hours a day.
    The crowds have actually thinned out today. It tends to be most crowded in the morning when everyone starts out together. But as we find our own pace, I guess we get our niche.

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